Category Archives: Meditations

Meditations

Where Has the Power Gone?

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As a young child I remember going to our church prayer meeting on Wednesday nights and hearing the adults pray through the requests and burdens they were carrying.  They would pray over each other and help carry the burden of others that were suffering.  As a child I was usually bored and either sleeping or talking quietly to a friend in the back pew but I remember how fervently the adults prayed together.

I don’t see that anywhere any more.  We are all in our own little bubble of spiritual growth and seem scared to share our burdens and struggles and pray for each other out loud.  The spoken word is so powerful and yet we rarely pray this way any more.  We leave this to the pastor or church leader that is in charge of prayer time.

Our prayer times at church have also become just a hospital list.  A list of ailments not a list of spiritual battles.  Don’t get me wrong, we should be praying for our physical struggles but that is not ALL we should be praying for.  Where are the verbal cries for the lost in our families?  Where are the anguished pleas for the sin that is overtaking our towns?  Where is the fight for our families and friends trapped in addiction?  Where is the plea to be used by God to help those around us?

2 Timothy 3 begins this way:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—  HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS BUT DENYING ITS POWER.    Have nothing to do with such people.

Are we denying the power God wants to display because we are not calling out to Him? I believe the answer to seeing the power of God work in our families, in our churches and in our communities is through corporate prayer.  Praying together, fighting the battles together and being united for the cause of Christ.  Will you join a local prayer group and change your community for the better?

Meditations

3 Things I Lived in Fear Of

FEAR

This word has been brought to the forefront of my spiritual walk this last week.  Enjoying worship this past week, one of the songs that was highlighted was “No Longer Slaves” by Bethel Music.  One of the lines in that song hit me hard.  I could not sing it.  I could not bring myself to acknowledge before my God that I was “No longer a slave to fear.”  I know that I am a child of God but I still hold back.  I am not as free with my faith as He calls me to be, I don’t always do what He asks of me or follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance in daily decision because I am afraid.

What am I afraid of?

I think it boils down to three things:

  1. I am afraid of what people think. I haven’t been willing to be rejected, talked about, or even looked down on because of my faith.
  2. I am afraid I will fail. I don’t feel smart enough, strong enough or good enough to accomplish what He asks.
  3. I am afraid I am not worthy. Why would the God of the universe want to use me?

So, how do I overcome fear and live a life that can sing “I am no longer a slave to fear.”

I need to have a bigger picture of God.

I need to know His immeasurable love for me. His love is not dependent on my accomplishments or my abilities, He just loves me!

I need to know that God never wants me to fail and promised to walk with me through every path He leads me on.

I need to know that my life is not lived to impress or be approved by the people around me but that my value comes from who my Father is.

I AM A CHILD OF GOD!!  WOW!!

As I worshiped, prayed and cried this last week, I am learning more and more how to take the bondage of fear off and live my life in the freedom Christ offers.  It will be a journey, but I am excited to be on it.  Continuing to grow in my faith and free myself of my fears.

“I will fear NO evil for Thou art with me!” Psalms 23:4

Meditations

Forbearance – What does that word mean?

We deal with tough people and situations every day.  How do you handle it?  A word that came up in my bible study this week was FORBEARANCE.   According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, forbearance means “the quality of someone who is patient and able to deal with a difficult person or situation without becoming angry.”  As I read that definition a several  things stood out to me.
First, is that forbearance is a character quality.  It is not an action but a way of thinking that our actions follow.  If we have the quality of forbearance then the result is patience when dealing with difficult people or situations.  It is a quality I find myself needing quite often in my job as an Alternative Education teacher.  People and situations can become volatile and escalate quickly if I do not keep my head in the midst of a crisis.  I need to have the quality ahead of time and know how to control my emotions during the event.
Another word that is important to understand in this definition is the word DEAL.  We do have to deal with people and situations, not just withdraw from them.  God never called us to be withdrawn from the world but to come along side people and restore them to God.  We cannot just ignore a difficult person or situation but must decide which action is the right one.
Now is the one that people tend to focus on:  “without becoming angry.”  It is so easy for our emotions to get out of control in a difficult circumstance but forbearance calls us to do just that.  When talking to my bible study group about this issue, the first thing someone said was “Well, Jesus got angry at the temple.”  Yes, yes he did.  BUT that was one instance out of hundred’s more where he dealt with difficult people and situations without becoming angry.  We can’t point to that one time as an excuse for us to do it over and over again.  There is a time for righteous anger but in very few circumstances does God want us to act this way.
So, how do we do this?  Here are a few ideas:
  1. Be sure to take some time to calm down when you feel your anger rising.  If that requires counting to ten or taking a walk, or just talking to yourself, do it!
  2. If you know a person is going to be difficult before you even face them, have some scenarios in mind of how you can respond. Choose to be proactive.
  3. Consider what might be causing the difficult situation or person. There may be stresses in the person’s life you know nothing about and has nothing to do with you. Empathy can go a long way.
  4. Sometimes it is necessary to pick your battles. We are supposed to deal with what is before us but be prayerful and know what your part is in God’s plan.  Sometimes God has the perfect person in place to take the steps necessary and it may not be you.  Spend some time in prayer  (if the situation gives you time) and listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
So, think of the quality of forbearance as you go through your week and let me know what you think of this little talked about word.